Thousands Still Without Power After Hurricane Force Winds

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DENVER (CBS4)- Xcel Energy crews worked Thursday afternoon into the evening to restore power to thousands of customers still in the dark.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, 6,200 Xcel Energy customers were without power in the Denver metro area. Crews hope to have power restored to most customers tonight unless the damage is too great to repair after sundown.

At one point after hurricane force winds blew through Colorado, more than 46,000 people were without power. Most of the outages are in the suburbs west of Denver. There are also some in the Boulder area.

“Seventeen hours and having to worry about food spoiling and whether your pipes are going to freeze,” said homeowner Christian Thurner, who has been without power since Wednesday afternoon.

Thurner used stove burners to keep warm.

Some homeowners also suffered property damage from the strong winds.

“All of a sudden I heard this big boom and the house shook,” said homeowner Emily Sent. “Went outside and saw our enormous tree uprooted.”

The huge tree in the Sent’s yard had smashed into the master bedroom dormer.

Tree trimming crews were prepared for a busy day of clean up.

“We expect it with the high winds,” said Swingle Tree crew member Tony Hahn. “People have to be cognizant of the trees on their property. They are responsible.”

Hahn said some of the damage can be prevented if trees are inspected by a professional.

“Often times people can’t see it from the ground so the key is to look for squirrels, woodpeckers, that type of things. If you see it you know you have some hollows,” said Hahn.